Washington, Aug. 13 (CNA) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday urged claimants to territory in the East and South China seas to create negotiating space for resolution of the issues and he cited the efforts of Taiwan and Japan as examples. Speaking at the East-West Center in Hawaii on the U.S.' vision for Asia-Pacific engagement, Kerry said the U.S. takes no position on the sovereignty claims in the East China Sea but cares about how these matters are resolved. The U.S. cannot impose solutions on the claimants in the region, and is not seeking to do that, he said. "But the recent settlement between Indonesia and the Philippines is an example of how these disputes could be resolved through good-faith negotiations," Kerry said. "Japan and Taiwan, likewise, showed last year that it's possible to promote regional stability despite conflicting claims." He was referring to Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou's decision to put aside his country's disputes with Japan over the Diaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea, and to conclude an agreement with Tokyo on fishing rights near the islands. Kerry said the U.S. is firmly against the use of intimidation or coercion to assert a territorial claim in the region. The U.S. also opposes "any suggestion that freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea and airspace are privileges granted by a big state to a small one," he said. These principles bind all nations equally, and all nations have a responsibility to uphold them, Kerry said. (By Tony Liao and Maubo Chang)